Chapter 1

Rav watched her walk across the ballroom, no he corrected himself, she didn't walk, she floated across the floor. Her hair was so black it seemed to have blue highlights, she wore it in a braid wrapped around her head several times, giving him an idea at its length. she was a tall woman, he guessed she must be at least 5'9". She stood out among the days popular petite blondes, with their ringlets and elaborate hairdo's. Her skin was alabaster, like the fine porcelain of a china doll, her dress was black like her hair, tapered tightly down to her waist, then flaring out over her hips. He wondered if she was in mourning or just defying convention that called for young girls to be dressed in pastel colors these days. He wondered what color her eye's were, but had no doubt he would find out soon enough. She was accompanied by a rather short stout lady, wearing an outrageous turban with feathers in it. The older lady was chattering away, the vision in black smiling and nodding as the older woman stopped from time to time to speak with a friend or an acquaintance. Carington, one of Rav's friends had also noticed the vision in black and commented "they say she is destitute, her uncle having gambled away the family fortune, now the aunt is trying to marry her off to anything with a title and money." Medfort standing next to Carington laughed "a lot of good that will do a man, all that beauty and as cold and frigid as they come, they have started calling her the Snow Queen." Carington seeing the look on Rav's face chuckled, "planning on trying to thaw her out are you? Rav." Rav merely smiled and turned the conversation to another topic. Natalie knew what they were all whispering behind their fans about, once one entered London society it seemed as if every prying gossip had to say something rude and uncalled for, usually lies that only fueled the gossip and rumors. She stiffened her back and kept a smile on her face no matter how much she wanted to scream at them and run back home. The worst were the leering, speculating men, looking at her as if she were on a slave block. Which to her way of thinking was pretty appropriate, she was up for sale to the highest bidder, she knew she had no choice. Her uncle had drunk and gambled away everything, the only thing left was the property entailed to her younger brother, but they were heavily taxed and falling into ruin, once again thanks to her uncle. Laughing bitterly, she knew they called her the Snow Queen, she had even heard them taking bets about who would actually pay her families outrageous debts simply for the honor of having her, cold or not. Natalie was 19 but she felt all of 90. Natalie had seen the extremely tall handsome man talking with his friends watching her. As she had walked into the room, a shiver of awareness ran up her back and she had turned and seen the man looking at her, he had watched her as she crossed the room with her Aunt, no matter how many times she told herself not too, again and again she found herself glancing in his direction. Telling herself he was more then likely a poor younger son, and she couldn't even afford to give him a thought, she put him out of her mind. Over the next few weeks, Rav found out everything he could about the Lady Natalie, where she lived, her bank account, the properties held for her younger brother Henry, called Hank by his family. Henry was only 10 and wouldn't come into his majority for another 11 years. It was also said that the boy was a cripple and was rarely seen in public. He found out about the uncle who had drowned about 8 months ago, some say he was tossed into the river because he could no longer pay his gambling debts. Jacquilt watched Rav staring pensively out the window, and waited patiently, as usual Rav would say what was on his mind in his own way and in his own time. Rav had grown into a fine figure of a man, well over 6'4", muscular, he wore his black hair long and tied back, his dark green eyes compelling, he loved physical activity and was always riding, practicing his sword play with his father, walking for miles in the forest when he was with his cousins, Chadrey and Kimberly. The growing up years had not been easy for Rav, at times fighting the human in him and remaining the dragon for weeks at a time, then rebelling against the dragon and remaining human for weeks. The dragon Rav had grown and matured faster then the human Rav, causing emotional conflicts that at times was almost painful to watch. The teenage years were the hardest of all, as hormones between human and dragon became confused and caused Rav endless misery. During those years it was often that the forest folk would hear the roar of a dragon raging at the skies.

Through all the years his family had given him love, understanding, humor and firm control. The two hellion twins as Jacquilt called them gave Rav laughter, dragging him into endless pranks, they filled his hardest times with endless patience and devotion. One day Rav had walked into his fathers study and announced that he was going traveling, he wanted to explore the world and the people in it, he had been 20 at the time. Rav had been gone for three long years, when he had returned, he was a mature young man who had finally found some calm in his life. Now at 25 Rav was enjoying the social rounds of London. Used to making friends easily, Rav always seemed busy, coming and going constantly. Rav turned and looked at Jacquilt, his friend, his mentor, his tutor. "I think its time I built a home of my own, perhaps something on the other side of the forest. I'm also going to be on the look out for a good place for a lair." he got up and clapped Jacquilt on the shoulder, "its a time for a new growing." then he left the room. Jacquilt wondered what changes were in the wind. "If only you could get him to dance with you, Natalie, perhaps he would take a liking to you, can't you flirt just a tiny bit, it wouldn't hurt and it might stop that awful nickname everyone has started calling you." Patricia said with a sigh. Natalie looked at her Aunt, "Who do you want to dance with me? and you know I detest flirting, I always look like a fool when I try." Patricia sighed again, she had tried, she really had tried to get the girl to unbend a bit, she knew Natalie would have much preferred to be curled up with one of the few books they had left, but she just didn't have that luxury any longer. "The Viscount St.Clair, the one with the odd name Ravlyr, that's who." she said in exasperation. Looking towards the man leaning against a wall, with an amused look on his face, talking with his friends. Rav felt her eye's on him, he turned and looked straight at her and winked, then went back to the conversation. Surprised Patricia looked at Natalie, "the two of you have already met? why didn't you tell me, this is wonderful, he seems smitten with you." Natalie looked at her aunt "no, we have not met, no he isn't smitten with me, and why is this so wonderful? all he did was wink, and probably was mistaken and had meant it for someone else." Just then Lord Barkley came up to request a dance, Patricia fawned all over the man and of course he should dance with Natalie, how kind of him to ask and almost shoved her into the mans arms. Natalie smiled politely and went out on the dance floor with the man, she disliked him intently, he had been watching her all evening with his little beady eyes, his hands were sweaty and he reeked of some perfume or other. Rav watched with a raised eyebrow as Natalie danced with Barkley, if possible she was paler then usual. Carington, sneered "Barkley has been sniffing at her skirts since she arrived in town, pity that actually, he is old enough to be her grandfather, and the rumors about the way he treats tavern wench's is enough to turn a mans stomach. He has money though and will probably pay for the Snow Queen, he has out lived three wives already, odd how they all have died in accidents." The music came to end and Natalie tried to pull her hand away from the Lord's. "You look a bit winded, my dear, a breath of fresh air is just what you need," he said almost tugging her in the direction of the balcony doors, "not at all my Lord, I really must be returning to my Aunt Patricia now, thank you for the dance." Natalie said with a polite cold voice. With a nasty laugh, he assured Natalie that her Aunt wouldn't mind if she took a walk in the gardens with him. Natalie was just about to refuse again when a voice came from behind her, "I believe the next dance has been promised to me, Lady Natalie." Rav held out his hand to Natalie and bowed slightly to the Lord "another time perhaps, Barkley." Natalie placed her hand on Rav's, inclined her head politely to Lord Barkley and followed Rav out onto the dance floor. Neither spoke a word during the whole dance, but each time they came together and his hand touched hers, Rav purposely sent a tiny shock through her fingertips, each time she would look up at him with a little start of surprise. Rav smiled to himself, her eye's were deep violet, her lashes long and framed her slightly almond shaped eyes to perfection. They reminded him of the flowers his Aunt Bitsy had planted around her oak house. The dance ended and Rav bowed over her hand, he brought it to his lips and touched it with a brush of his lips, "thank you for the pleasure of the dance, Lady Natalie" he said and walked off before she had a chance to reply. In the carriage on the way home, Patricia asked Natalie about how her dance with Lord Barkley had gone, that she was hoping for an offer soon, one of her suitors had to make an offer soon, their creditors were hounding her for payment. "We can't keep up this pretense much longer, dear, if we haven't received an offer by the time of the Carington masquerade ball, we will just have to hide out in the country and pray they don't come hunting us there." sighed Patricia. Natalie hugged her Aunt, "I know how hard you've tried Aunt Patricia to make things right, surely an offer will be coming soon, but please don't accept an offer from Lord Barkley, I just can't stand the man, he turns my stomach." Patricia sighed again at Natalie, "I wish I could promise, my dear, but the man is very wealthy, has a London town house, several homes in the country. He desperately needs an heir, the poor man loosing his wives so unexpectedly." Patricia who had been in the dining room when Natalie had danced with Rav, asked about who she had danced with and what she thought of the men, Natalie told her about several of the young and not so young men, she never mentioned the Viscount of St.Clair. Before going to bed for the night Natalie looked in on Hank, she brushed the hair back from his forehead and tucked the covers around him. He didn't deserve the hand life had dealt him, she thought, not for the first time as she left his room. As she fell asleep she put a pair of dark green eyes that seemed to see right into her very soul and tingling fingers out of her mind, she couldn't afford to think of such things.